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Diversity and inclusion programs are essential for any organization that wants to create an equitable, supportive work environment. However, why DE&I programs fail is because of two primary reasons.
Firstly, ask yourself this question: is your company committed to making DE&I a priority?
One of the biggest reasons why most DE&I initiatives fail is because the company is not as invested to DE&I as to other critical business strategies.
Diversity and inclusion is not a one-time event. It requires ongoing commitment, consistent messaging from leadership, resources, and most importantly, action. If you want to make Diversity & Inclusion a priority in your organization, start by putting metrics around it. For example, define what you want to achieve and by when.
Secondly, is the DE&I program executed as if it's a standalone program or it is deeply integrated with your existing leadership and management development programs?
In order for DE&I initiatives to drive real change, they shouldn't feel like an extra to-do. Instead, they should support the foundations of your development programs. For example, every manager is trained on how to run meetings. How integrated DE&I programs work is that they show managers how to create an inclusive environment during their meetings.
Think of DE&I as a set of beliefs and values, instead of checkboxes.
1. Meets People Where They Are
Everyone is in a different place in their DE&I journey and that’s OK. Whether someone is further along or just beginning, a successful program feels inclusive to all journeys.
If someone is just starting, they should be met with empathy and patience. If someone is further along, they should be given opportunities to move the conversation further.
The key is to have a diversity and inclusion program that fosters psychological safety and encourages a learning mindset.
Most people feel uncomfortable to have a conversation around DE&I because people are afraid to say the wrong thing. It’s important for the program to have actionable steps and conversation guidance that will steer everyone in an informed and respectful way.
One example of opening up a conversation on DE&I is to ask members of the team to consider how the advantages they have had in life might be affecting their own DE&I narrative. Think of:
- How has their experience shaped their opinions and actions?
- Have they stood in the way of understanding or experiencing the challenges of others?
Asking team-members to reflect on their privilege calls attention to an opportunity to help as an ally.
2. Designed for Simplicity in Content and Approach
With how important DE&I is, there is a temptation to want to tackle as many topics as possible in a development workshop. You might have considered educating about generational diversity, gender diversity, sexual orientation diversity, and cultural diversity all at one workshop.
However, presenting too much information at once may cause information overload, which eventually leads to anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, and mental fatigue.
Instead, committing to a simple approach that concentrates on a few key changes in mindset and behaviors will have a much greater impact because it allows for focus.
Successful diversity and inclusive initiations often offer focused, short, and interactive classes. For example, a 7-minute class talking about ‘how to run inclusive meetings’. Gone are the days people have to sit for 3 hours in a workshop and barely remember what they've learned.
The simpler the approach and the shorter the content is, the easier it is for people to remember and apply what they've learned.
3. Allows for Reflection, Discussion, and Engagement Overtime
The challenges we face today around diversity, equity, and inclusion did not develop overnight and we aren’t going to change overnight, either.
Successful development program are not positioned as a silver bullet. The progress in the DE&I space will be incremental and won’t be solved by a simple training or checklist.
Successful diversity and inclusion programs are designed to incorporate reflection, discussion, and engagement over a longer time frame.
Your people need regular touch points and reinforcements to guide their learning while they are on the job.
Create programs that offer online discussions and activities long after the initial training. This will help to ensure that your programs have an impact that lasts over time.
A great framework to refer to is David Peterson’s Development Pipeline. Peterson was the former Director of Leadership and Coaching at Google. He lays out a development framework which captures the five necessary and sufficient conditions for change.
4. Builds In Accountability
Spending time in the “classroom”, whether that is remote or in-person, is great for discovering knowledge gaps and building new skills. However, sustained behavior change is built and sustained through accountability systems and regular practice.
Successful diversity and inclusion programs reward behavior in line with the program’s objectives and have a clear approach for how to address behavior that isn’t.
For example, does the program have clear guidelines for what is and isn’t acceptable behavior in a workplace setting? Does it provide clear pathways for feedback about behavior that is not in line with DE&I values?
Successful diversity and inclusion initiatives establishes the foundation to have open and honest conversations about DE&I. For instance, if an individual on the team seems to be giving preferential treatment to those who come from a similarly privileged background, a frank conversation must happen during which the individual’s motives and bias, unconscious or not, are discussed and an action plan for remediation put in place.
It is critical to establish accountability throughout the program. This will help to ensure that the learning is applied and that behavior change is supported.
5. Engages Senior Leadership
Diversity and inclusion programs will only be successful if they engage senior leadership: not only must they communicate as the executive sponsors,
Leaders must show up as role models who share candidly where they are on their own DE&I journey and share a call-to-action for all of their employees on how they can show up and do better.
Successful diversity and inclusion initiatives not only engage senior leadership, but also put them front and center. Engaged executive sponsors can help set the tone and create an environment that is conducive to DE&I change.
Free 'Diversity, Equity & Inclusion' Learning Path for Managers
The 'Diversity, Equity & Inclusion' learning path walks you through essential tips for creating a diverse, safe, and inclusive environment for everyone.
Managers will learn:
- How to Build Diverse Teams
- How to Create an Inclusive Environment
- How to Run Inclusive Meetings
- Building Trust as a Team
- Helping Others Feel Heard
Each video is less than 10 minutes, perfect for people who loves micro content and learning practical tools at speed.
